IDF Requests NIS 10 Billion Budget Supplement

ICEJ News Briefs

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) submitted a request to the government for a NIS 10 billion budget supplement this week, according to Army Radio. Reasons for the request included unexpected costs from what is called the “war-between-wars” referring to air-strikes on Iranian targets in Syria and a variety of covert operations designed to prevent full-blown conflicts, as well as non-routine security-related expenses such as confronting rioters along the Gaza border. Other reasons cited was the need to beef up the IDF’s Order of Battle to counter increasingly sophisticated weapons and equipment provided to regional adversaries by Russia.

In related news, US Envoy for Middle East negotiations Jason Greenblatt posted a Tweet Tuesday including a map of Israel which shows the Golan Heights as an integral part of Israeli territory, making the first time an official US document of any kind has included such a map. “Welcome to the newest addition of our international maps system,” wrote Greenblatt.

Here is a video giving some analysis of recent developments between Israel and Syria

Honey Production Bounces Back Following Wet Winter

The Council of Production and Marketing of Honey in Israel published a report this week including statistics which paint a hopeful picture for production of the sweet substance in the coming year due to unusually large volumes of rain this past winter, leading to a bumper crop of pollen-producing flowers which the bees who produce honey need. "Last year, the production of honey was about 3,000 tons, and this year we expect a 25% increase in output, an additional 800 tons of honey. For the last five years, there has been never been such an increase in honey production," said Zeev Meidan, the director general of the council.

Gal Gadot Spending Passover in Israel

Israeli-born acrtress Gal Gadot, best known for portraying the superhero “Wonder Woman” landed in her homeland Monday with her husband and children to spend the Passover holiday with her extended family. There are also rumors she will be doing some work to prepare for the upcoming Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv.

Joint Venture Announced Between Israel and Finland

The movement to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) Israel suffered another defeat on Tuesday when a joint venture was announced between Israeli and Finnish companies working in the area of digital health management. The announcement was made by the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) and the Israel-Europe Research & Innovation Directorate (ISERD). "We are thrilled to provide this bridge between the pioneering innovation ecosystems of Israel and Finland in a field that impacts us all: digital health," said Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority.

Finnish Ambassador-designate to Israel Kirsikka Lehto-Asikainen said: "It is an important and exciting leap forward for the cooperation between Finland and Israel as leading innovative countries. We are truly happy to be part of that partnership and will continue promoting similar initiatives in the future – we can certainly see a great potential for that."

Today's Video gives a look at the Biblical Festival of Passover in Israel